Simpler Ways
by Temptation-Within-Shadow
Summary: So what about this Harry Potter fellow? In a world where there really was no Harry Potter, what did really happen? What are the ministry and history books hiding? RemusxOC ServerusxLily AU
1. Chapter 1

Hey to all! This is Scale and yeah I write to get the plot bunnies out of my head so if you don't like it then tough don't read it. If you do feel free to let me know!

Disclaimer: I hate to say it, but I don't own anybody here but Seline.

Simpler Ways

Seline Evon Snape was always the girl in black, tattered, clothes who sat in the back of a class with her nose in a book. The book was most likely not of the subject that the class was over, if it was a textbook at all, and the girl never seemed to answer wrong despite the lack of classroom attention. Lily smiled pondering the likeness that the girl had to her older brother Serverus. Lily Evans was a third year student and friends with Serverus Snape, and had been for many years now.

Lily was delighted that the younger sister had finally been added to the roster in this year's bunch of first year students. She also wasn't surprised that the girl managed to handle some of the tougher curriculum the school had to offer, such as the Advanced Ancient Runes class that they were sitting in now. Currently the book of choice was a Latin text that she was no doubt scanning trying to find the answer to yesterday's mystery question that had left both girls stumped.

Seline looked up from her book and her eyes began to sparkle. Lily looked over to the door finding the familiar sight of Lucius Malfoy standing outside the classroom. He must be waiting because of the fight earlier. Honestly, James Potter needed to learn when to shut his mouth. The rogue student had made a sharp comment about Serverus to Sirius Black and Seline had overheard she swung at potter hooking him in the stomach and Black had caught her jaw fiercely backhanding the girl. She had kicked him having been a fan of martial arts; Lily's father had signed her up for a class in something or another as a present. The girl was still seething, and Lucius had most likely been assigned to keep her temper in check. The one thing Seline had inherited from Tobias aside from the oily hair that both Seline and Serverus sported.

The teacher dismissed them Seline snapping he book shut after carefully memorizing the page she was on and placing the text into her bag. Lily led the girl out of the room and handing her off to Lucius. The redhead started to turn then whirled around again "Seline, Lucius," she called stopping the two, "would you give these back to Sev please? I borrowed them yesterday in a study session." Seline reached over taking the papers with a small smile that was about all she could manage at the time, "Of course Lily. You know you can always drop by whenever you need to." The girl replied giving the older student a shallow hug. Lily nodded and shooed the child off to Lucius once again.

Lucius looked down at the first year, he was in his last year, but that didn't seem to stop him from coddling the adorable little girl "You shouldn't invite a lion to the snake pit. She's liable to get bitten." Seline looked up at him, "Serverus loves her, so Lily is family. No one has the gall to mess with anyone of ours." She said with a smirk then a small wince as her still hurt jaw throbbed. Lucius just smiled and shook his head, "Come let us find Narcissa." Seline nodded pulling out her wand between their bodies and sending a well deserved hex in James Potter's direction sending him stumbling into a rubbish bin outside the potions class.

Narcissa giggled taking a seat on one side of Seline as Serverus took the other side. Apparently James Potter and the Rubbish Bin had been turned to a short story in Potions. Now at least half of Slytherin had read the three page story on the 'adventure' of the Gryffindor. Serverus glared at his younger sister "You're going to get into bigger trouble then I can bail you out of one of these days." "Lucius didn't stop me." the girl responded in a flat voice picking up a cracker from her plate and nibbling on it.

Serverus' glare found its way to the seventh year student who ignored it in favor of the younger girl, "Eat something besides crackers Seline." The girl looked up as if she had just been kicked and in a pathetically small voice she replied, "But I like crackers." Narcissa made a delighted sound hugging the small child, "Oh she's just adorable." The girl tried to shrink out of the grip sulking a bit as Lucius picked up a piece of fruit, "Let the girl breathe 'Cissa."

Sirius howled with laughter reading the story sitting by James' side. Lily was furious that she had been brought into the story for any small amount of words. James was turning red in the face reading the last paragraph of the story titled James Potter and the Rubbish Bin. Remus just rolled his eyes and shoved his nose into a book as Peter joined Sirius in the laughing over the joke made by one BB whoever that was.

Back in the common room Lily snapped as the boys still continued on with joking about, "Honestly it wasn't that funny! Maybe if you'd stop calling attention to yourself you wouldn't have been the butt of this joke!" Peter scampered off into another room as Sirius let loose an 'oooooo' pointing at James like a first grader earning glares from various people around the room.

Remus glared up at the two as Lily sat beside him pulling a book from her pile of usually used things she left on the common room desk, "Honestly Sirius stop it's no longer funny." The brunette replied as the girl next to him smiled. "Remus, would you please accompany me to the Slytherin dorms? I found the answer to a question me and Seline missed in Ancient Runes the other day, and I know she would love to hear it." Lily said closing the book and setting it down as she looked hopefully over at the boy sitting beside her. Remus nodded shutting his book and standing in unison with Lily as she smiled brightly making her way to the portrait. The vicious glare James sent the boy was promptly ignored by both Remus and Lily as they exited the room into the corridor.

Seline snuck out of her brother's room with a large black shirt on that hung to her knees covering some of the holes in the cotton sleep pants she was wearing. She was still upset about the fight and the missing explanation of the rune from the day before. Serverus' clothes always smelled of her brother and cigarette smoke that they pick up from Tobias at home and it was comforting to the girl that was spending her time away from the house for the first time in her life.

Narcissa intercepted the girl before she made it back to her own room to begin reading her newest book, one that she had borrowed from Bellatrix. "Well, that looks a tad big on you." The blonde girl stated looking down her nose at the child, "Not proper to go about stealing other's clothing." Seline blushed, "It's my brothers he won't mind." Narcissa smiled, "Oh I know its Serverus' shirt." Seline blinked and followed the girl as she led the way to the bathroom, "Come on we'll get you ready for bed then. I bought you something I think you'll like last Saturday."

Seline laughed as she popped a bubble on Narcissa's nose. The surprise had been a face wash that smelled of ginger and sage two of Seline's favorite scents. The girl had delighted in the aroma insisting that Narcissa had joined her. Not that the older girl needed any encouragement in keeping her skin healthy just the suds had become a source of entertainment for the younger girl who popped the bubbles causing a sloppy sound and splash of soap.

Narcissa smiled and began to giggle herself seeing how much such a simple thing entertained the girl. How someone such as Seline had gotten to be in Slytherin was a mystery. She took much too much pride in needing no material things but merely emotions. She did know how to wrap everyone around her little fingers though, and perhaps that was the biggest danger about the girl.

Lily smiled at Remus as they walked down the corridor toward the Slytherin dorms, "You've never actually talked with Seline have you?" he shook is head in response. He had no classes with the first year Snape and hadn't ever talked with her. Lily grinned, "Oh you'll love her she'll have you wrapped around her finger in no time!" Remus smiled back, "If she's anything like you've said I'm sure we'll be just fine." Lily turned to the portrait that housed the Slytherin common room and knocked a few times.

Lucius opened the door just as she was about to knock again raising one perfect manicured brow in her direction. "Hello Malfoy we came to see Seline." The blonde nodded and stepped back, "Come in then I'm sure she'll be out soon enough." The two entered and Lily gravitated toward Serverus as Lucius disappeared around a corner on the far side of the room. Serverus looked up from his potion's text as Lily began to read over his shoulder, "Lily?" She smiled, "Oh I found the answer to the runes question."

Serverus smiled up at the girl, "Good, I'll get my shirt back." Lily laughed a bit under her breath as Remus went from awkward to curious and awkward at the same time. "She steals Sev's shirts when she gets upset. I guess that problem really threw her off." Lily explained. As she finished the explanation Lucius and Narcissa came in at each other's side Seline was behind them finally having been united with the book she had wanted to read.

"I found the answer in a subtext. It means both growth and expansion or to dilute a substance." The redhead said smiling. Seline's head snapped up as she head Lily begin to talk. She smiled at the older girl but made a face when she saw Remus standing near her. "That's why we couldn't figure out the water reference." Lily continued a smile on her face as she tried to distract from the fact part of Potter's crew had accompanied her.

Seline smiled coming out from behind the two older blondes almost tripping over the too long shirt in the process as it twisted about her knees. She came over and clung to Lily giving the others who were staring oddly at the intruders a menacing look that was surprisingly scary looking on such a small person. Avery continued to pout at the girl as if she was hurting his feeling but eventually back down leaving the four to their own devices.

Seline smiled brightly as Lily peered down at her, "Your jaw is better." The first year nodded, "Yeah Sev works miracles." The other laughed, "That he does!" she agreed petting the younger girls head and laying her other hand on the mentioned boy's shoulder. Serverus glared at the both of them for speaking about him as if he weren't there; something that they often did as if it wasn't at all rude in the slightest.

Seline walked over to stand before Remus peering up at him with a searing gaze from below her slightly damp hair. He glanced at Lily whom merely shrugged in reply as she apparently didn't know what the gesture was about. "You hang out with Potter." The smaller girl said nearly spitting the last word out as if it tasted foul. Remus chuckled at how much she resembled her older brother who was sitting to the left smirking at the situation. "Yes, but they aren't the brightest people someone needs to help. And Lily can't handle them alone." He replied a bit playfully even though the ones in question weren't there.

Seline smirked, a true Slytherin full fledged Lucius competitor, "What was your opinion on the rubbish bin? I find that it complimented him nicely as it seemed right around his intelligence level." Remus about fell over in laughter as he recalled the ending of the story where James married the rubbish bin, "Yes, I do hope that the children get the combined smarts." Seline cracked up into a loud laugh with the rest of the room. She glanced back at Lily before letting loose, "Hug Zombie!" and launching herself at Remus wrapping her arms around the boy squeezing tightly. Lily laughed a bit as several of the girls in the room made cute noises. Remus looked shocked not knowing what to do. Serverus looked a cross between angry and mortified.

The youngster released her captive hugging Lily before going over to sit with her brother leaning against the older Snape. Lily smiled, "Seline this is Remus Lupin. Remus, this is Serverus' little sister Seline Snape." The girl nodded picking up her brother's abandoned book rather then her own before making a face and switching back to her own yawning. Remus blinked as the noise she made pulled at his heart strings. The girl sounded like a newborn pup when she yawned, and the carefully concealed wolf in him tried to jump out and cuddle the young girl. Seline smiled settling down against her brother yawning again as the older boy sighed, he wouldn't get that shirt back tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

Time warp! Sorry but the beginning of this will be rather erratic, the further along we get the more consistent the time will flow! This is the summer between Seline's first and second year. For Serverus and Lily it is between third and fourth year.

Disclaimer: Checks watch…nope still don't own….

Chapter Two

That summer all hell broke loose. Tobias came home drunk as usual to find Seline asleep in the chair with one of her old textbooks open across her lap. Serverus was upstairs taking care of a very distraught mother who had gone into panic mode some hours before and hadn't noticed the door opening and slamming shut. It wasn't until the textbook went flying through a window that the older sibling realized that their father must be home.

Racing down the stairs Serverus caught sight of Tobias backhanding Seline, his yelling slurred so bad he wasn't understandable. Serverus growled low in his chest running over to try and scoop up his baby sister who was supporting herself with the wall; Tobias sent him flying into the wall as well. Seline shook her head, "Sev run!" she called hopping up onto the stairs and heading for her brothers room. She grabbed clothes and threw them into his school trunk, and then moved a picture uncovering a stash of things in a hole in the wall she handled these carefully placing them into the trunk as well.

Her mother came in and watched as she ran back and forth from her room taking as much as she could carry of hers including her school trunk that she had dragged into the older boy's room. Seline grabbed some money that they had stashed whenever they got it from heir parents from a similar hole in the wall under her bed. She hit her head coming out from under it, but didn't pause for more then to curse at it. Sev stumbled up the stairs and into his room seeing the two trunks he levitated them out the window as their mother went to check on their father who was still banging around downstairs. Seline shooed him toward the window as she turned to watch the door.

Serverus climbed through the window grabbing a hold on the gutter he shimmied himself over till he got to the drain and climbed down using he braces as footholds until he was safely on the ground. He looked up just in time to hear Seline scream and go flying from the window. He caught the girl the force sending them both to the ground Seline on top actually cracking her wrist against a stone; Serverus beneath her the wind knocked out of him and his head hitting the side of Seline's trunk. The two scrabbled up Serverus shrinking the trunks and handing one to his sister as they darted down the road.

It was two blocks later that Serverus started to collapse. Seline panicked and forced the boy to sit running ahead accidentally tightening her wrist as she took off causing a strangled scream that had her brother up and after her again. She waved him back down with the other hand, and took off for the only place she knew would be safe to go, the Evans place. Lily's father answered the alternating frantic pounding and ringing of the bell. Seline babbled as soon as the door opened starting to hyperventilate. She finally got out that her brother was hurt and where she had left him.

Serverus sighed rubbing at his head pulling his hand back when he felt a slick substance. He peered at the blood on his fingers that looked black in the night light. He resized one of the trunks pulling out several of the school books knowing that they would be in the hospital for some time. He shook his head as the images around him darkened another few shades and swam. He groaned leaning against the storage unit with a heavy feeling.

Lily and Petunia came down the stairs to say goodnight, and caught the girl standing on the front door. Lily rushed up the stairs throwing on dirty clothes from the floor. The redhead ran down the stairs and caught the car just as they went to pull out of the drive. Seline pointed her out so her father could stop; Lily hopped into the backseat slamming the door behind her as her father whipped out of the driveway toward the street where Serverus was waiting. They pulled up seeing him leaning against the trunks nearly passed out once again. Lily got out and gingerly helped him into the back seat Seline in the front passenger's side.

Serverus groaned as the car started to roll again. Lily soothed him stroking his hair in the places that weren't blood clotted. Seline was sitting with her knees pulled up onto the seat her head resting lightly between them to help her hyperventilating. It was three lies seven hours and six-hundred dollars later that Seline's cast was being drawn on and, Serverus was finally getting a look at his own scan developments that he was allowed to keep. They had told the doctor's it was a sports accident. The children had been practicing football maneuvers and had tumbled into an outcropping of rocks near the edge of the field. They were also Lily's cousin's visiting while their mother went through therapy to get rid of reoccurring cancer.

Lily helped Serverus into the guest bedroom and made a little pallet on the floor with several blankets and an air mattress for Seline and herself; neither wanted to sleep in lily's room, both to paranoid about Sev's head injury. Both the males had laughed it off telling them it was no big deal the scans had shown nothing unordinary, but the were stubborn. Very much so in fact and so they were all sleeping in the guest room for the night.

Downstairs the Evan's parents made plans to take custody of the Snape children.


End file.
